Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) was the 45th President of the United States (2017 - 2021). As president, Trump was mired by the failure to accomplish much in Congress. In his first term he survived an assassination attempt and was drawn into a new Cold War with the Russian Federation. He was hobbled by a myriad of scandals such as allegations of his campaign colluding with the Russians. In historical rankings of the U.S. presidents, Trump is often rated among the worst. Trump ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2016, but he was considered an also-ran with little chance of success. The establishment Republican candidates, such as former Governor JEB Bush and Senator Marco Rubio, routinely split the vote among moderate Republicans in the early primary states, leaving Trump with a small plurality which secured critical early victories. Trump's support gradually grew until the last remaining candidates, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio dropped out, leaving Trump the nominee despite having only 41% of the popular vote among primary voters. He conducted the first "twitter" campaign, routinely communicating his political positions and reactions to his opponents and critics in real-time through social media. He won an electoral victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton and Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, running on a nationalist theme of "Make America Great Again" and becoming the first person in history with no prior political experience to become President of the United States. Trump appointed a number of controversial figures, including Steve Mnuchin at the Treasury, Jeff Sessions at Justice, Scott Pruitt at the Environmental Protection Agency, and Betsy DeVoss at Education. He was elected despite having lost one of the largest popular vote margins in U.S. history in 2016, when he defeated Hillary Clinton. His administration would be plagued by widespread opposition and a series of revelations about the Trump campaign's involvement with the Russian government during the 2016 election. The scandal escalated, costing Trump much of his political support. 2016 presidential campaign The 2016 presidential campaign between Clinton, Trump, and Johnson was conducted during a period of extreme social division within the United States and the ongoing Ukrainian crisis. His campaign was predicated on the idea that the success of the Obama administration had failed the bulk of the country and his opponent was corrupt. The election of 2016 was one of the most divisive of the 21st Century, with none of the three candidates having favorables higher than their unfavorables, and the persistent cloud of social tension resulting from a string of mass shootings and recorded incidents of alleged racially motivated police shootings. Additionally, this election took place during height of period of rising nationalism that had swept the western world, exemplified by the British referendum to exit the European Union. Trump ultimately won with 306 electoral votes, however Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, the largest vote margin of any losing candidate. This paved the way for the 28th and 29th Amendments to the Constitution, ratified just in time for the 2020 presidential election. Presidency, 2017–21 At the time, Trump was the oldest person elected to the office of the presidency, being 70 years of age. In his first inaugural address on January 20, 2017, he promised to forge peaceful ties with the nations of the world and increase American efforts against jihadist forces, specifically ISIS. Trump argued that America must move beyond preemptive war and nation-building and instead encourage and support local powers, only getting directly involved when all other options have been exhausted. Domestic Policy Civil Rights 'Foreign Policy' 'Second Korean War (Operation Pacific Horizon)' Shortly after taking office, President Trump was confronted with a series of new missile tests by the North Koreans and intelligence that the country had developed a deliverable nuclear weapon that could strike US allies and assets in the Pacific and potentially the US mainland. By the end of May, North Korea had successfully tested advanced Medium and Intermediate range ballistic missiles and was openly defying China who had made several overtures to bring the DPRK to the negotiating table. While the US, China, and South Korea all sent peace-feelers to North Korea, the missile tests continued, and the US began to move carrier strike groups into the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan. By the end of May 2017, the US had positioned the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Ronald Reagan around the Peninsula, and was moving the USS Theodore Roosevelt from San Diego toward the region, while the USS Nimitz was being prepared for rapid redeployment from Washington state. The US also began early deployment of F-35 stealth fighters to Korea, conducted extensive aerial exercises with F-16 squadrons, and began civil defense briefings at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Diplomatic efforts, primarily those led by China, broke down after North Korea successfully tested its first Intercontinental-Ballistic Missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-14, on July 4th, 2017. After an unsuccessful effort to unify the international community in condemnation of the test in an emergency summit of the UN, the United States and South Korea began to more overtly broadcast their intent to attack. Upon the President's return from the G-20 Summit, the US made one final ultimatum to North Korea, demanding that they cease all missile tests and nuclear enrichment efforts, and negotiate in good faith to end their nuclear program. After the North Koreans rebuffed the American threat, President Trump ordered Defense Secretary Mattis to begin the attack, beginning with preemptive nuclear strikes against North Korea's nuclear launch sites. Long Range Standoff cruise missiles carrying W80 nuclear warheads were deployed with a yield of 10 kT, completely destroying North Korea's nuclear capability. While smaller than the bombs used at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the impact of using nuclear weapons for a second time in history was not lost on the public. President Trump's decision to use the bombs were hotly criticized in the press, however he did see his popularity reach a majority of the American population during the early days of the conflict. While the nuclear attack was underway, B-2 Spirit and B-1 Lancer stealth bombers from Guam were deployed to strike North Korean artillery positions with support from F-35 fighters. Simultaneously EA-18G Growlers were deployed from the Vinson and the Reagan to disable North Korean air defenses and communications. The President called South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and the other nuclear powers 5 minutes before the strike took place informing them of the US attack. South Korea, Russia, and China had been aware of the possibility for many weeks from open discussions with the US, however Britain, India, Pakistan, France, and Israel were hearing about the attack for the first time. The US strikes achieved a total destruction of North Korea's nuclear capabilities without any retaliatory launches, and artillery positions along the border were destroyed before the North could fire a shot. Additionally, F-18 Growler flights cut off all communications between DPRK command and field commanders, slowing their response, but not the effectiveness of it as the DPRK Army had vested command authority into its field commanders in the event of a communications blackout. The decision to use nuclear weapons against North Korea saw immediate backlash from left-wing groups in the US and Europe. However, conservative and moderate voters largely supported the action, leading to President Donald Trump experiencing a spike in popularity, with approval rating climbing above 50% for the first time in his term. However, this popularity would again falter as the North Korean insurgency set in, fueling anti-war sentiment in 2018. President Trump's response to criticism, the worsening recession, and public ambivalence towards the war resulted in the Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives in 2018. The Democratic Party adopted a firm anti-nuclear weapons platform that struck a chord with voters who saw the use of a nuclear first strike as excessive. In September 2017, Trump visited South Korea, where he met with his U.S. military commanders and President Moon Jae-in. Amid protests at home demanding his removal from office, he maintained a strategy of limited engagement with US troops in favor of relying on South Korean troops to do the bulk of the actual fighting. His responses to protesters included invoking PATRIOT Act rules restricting the movement of protesters near government buildings. Both the US and Chinese governments agreed to provide naval and air cover for the South Koreans as well as their own forces, but avoided taking out anything other than critical military targets and securing the nation's nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang was secured in October, 2017 by South Korean forces. A civilian government was hastily organized by the DPRK bureaucracy and the remaining military forces in the capital to commence negotiations with the South for reunification in exchange for immediate international aide. Coalition forces liberated the six known labor camps and discovered dozens of unreported mines and factories using slave labor, finally showing the true extent of the malevolence of the North Korean regime. The audacity led to an outcry of international support and charitable donations. China and the US both agreed to hand off occupation duties to the South Korean military after removing and disabling DPRK nuclear stockpiles and facilities. The US and China also agreed to a reduction in forces on and near the peninsula. China would maintain border patrol stations for 5 years, and the US would begin a phased reduction of its troops in the South over 10 years. By the winter of 2017, the North Korean military began to see mass defections, and reports of cannibalism among the peasants lead to infighting among military leaders in Pyongyang. On 12 February, 2018, Kim Jong-un was assassinated by his own guards while in hiding. General Pak Yong-sik promptly declared Marshal Law and ordered the assassins executed, but rival generals and admirals began making their own declarations as Supreme Leader, leading to more infighting. With the civilian leadership gone and the military fractured, the US was unable to carry out negotiations for an end to the conflict. In September 2020, the insurgency's supplies had been largely depleted. These events led the insurgency and North Korean military factions to enter negotiations with the U.S., with China acting as a mediator. North Korea's remaining factions surrendered after the signing of the Manila Accords, just minutes after the new American president, Cory Booker, was sworn into office. War against ISIS President Trump entered office with ISIS on the defensive in light of the Battle of Mosul, and hoped that by restoring friendly relations with the Russians, he could lead the country to victory against ISIS with Russia as a major ally. This strategy was never able to play out, as the chances of cooperation between the US and the Russians dimmed as Trump's presidency went on, especially after the escalation of Syrian atrocities against its citizens. In the meantime, Trump would escalate the war on ISIS, increasing the number of troops in the region and increasing airstrikes on Islamic targets. Within several months, Mosul fell to Iraqi forces, while the Islamic State's capital of al Raqqa would fall to US-backed forces. As well, Trump would increase the US role in Afghanistan to take out extremist strongholds in that country. After the fall of Al Raqqa, Trump would spend much of his term in an effort to formalize the tentative alliance system that began under the Obama administration with Turkey. Trump pushed Turkey to take a leading roll in securing the region, recognizing Turkey's power in the Levant as the Saudi Monarchy continued to crumble, while still forging ties with the latter nation. Trump would go on to take a tougher stance on Iran, seeing it as a sponsor of terrorism. However, he would still maintain the nuclear agreement negotiated by his predecessor, despite being opposed to it as a candidate. As Russia became a more pressing threat in the eyes of the public, the US was able to largely disengage from the Levant and Iraq, reducing its air campaign to protecting strategic interests. However, by 2018, the remnants of ISIS that had gone to ground after al-Raqqa fell had begun a persistent campaign of terror over not just Iraq and Syria, but had spread south into Saudi Arabia and Jordan, further destabilizing the region. 'Little Cold War' Trump hoped partnering with the Russians in Syria would help deescalate the Little Cold War, despite extreme pressure from international allies and domestic foreign policy experts. In light of allegations of alleged contact between Trump's campaign and the Russians, however, this began to look naive to the majority of the American public. Many Democratic lawmakers began calling for investigations into Trump's dealings with the Russians, citing accusations during the 2016 campaign of financial dealings with Moscow while the CIA uncovered evidence of Russian interference. After the 2018 Midterms, the House Government Oversight Committee began an investigation into the financial holdings of the President, and while the results of the investigation were embarrassing, they failed to unearth any clear evidence of impropriety. Trump, on the other hand, saw his chances of renewing ties with Russia dim after ordering naval strikes on a Syrian air base in the aftermath of an attack by the Assad regime against its own citizens with chemical weapons. Russia fiercely condemned the strike, and any chance of a constructive relationship between the US and the Putin regime crumbled. However, it was ultimately the Second Korean War that did that in. Trump pursued a military buildup in Eastern Europe to counter Russian aggression, and ordered a massive restructuring of the United States Armed Forces, including reviving the DDG1000 Zumwalt program that had been curtailed by the Obama administration, pushing for the development of a new generation of advanced drones (most famously the SR-72), and pushing for a "1 to 1" policy for the submarine and surface fleets. In response to Russian deployment of the CSS-01 Anti-satellite, Trump called for more funding to ship-borne lasers and in-space servicing satellites. Neither side would admit it, but for all practical purposes a new arms race between the United States and Russia had begun. The Little Cold War spurred a new era in spaceflight as the US military began to realize its position in space was no longer unassailable. To counter Russian anti-satellite technologies, billions of dollars were pumped into upgrading US launch capabilities, developing in-orbit refueling capabilities, and expanded communications networks. 'Economy' In early 2018 the US economy had slipped into a recession that would last until January 2019 and saw a 1.7% contraction of the GDP. Unemployment rates briefly rose above 7%, largely due to service industry and manufacturing layoffs. Trump responded with the lowering of interest rates, increasing infrastructure spending and pushing existing defense projects to begin work ahead of schedule. Despite this, the Republican party held control of the Senate by only the Vice President in the 2018 midterms while unexpectedly losing the House in an upset that not even gerrymandering could stop. By fall of 2019, unemployment began to fall to pre-recession levels in the US. Economic stagnation, however, remained constant, and wealth continued to be concentrated more towards urban areas and the wealthy. This trend led to greater hostility toward Trump by his base of support among rural and Midwestern whites. By 2019, the recession, combined with the increased prevalence of Democratic-leaning Millennials in the work force and the dissatisfaction among Republicans with Trump's apparent inability to follow through within more grandiose campaign promises, had caused public opinion to turn heavily against Trump. He ran for re-election in 2020, but was defeated by Democrat Cory Booker. This, combined with the Republicans finally losing the Senate, was the final nail in the coffin for the Republican Party. It would never again be a viable force, finally disbanding after the election of Dylan J. Price in 2028. 'Collusion with Russia' In January 2017, a U.S. intelligence community assessment expressed "high confidence" that Russia favored Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered an "influence campaign" to denigrate and harm Clinton's electoral chances and potential presidency. The report concluded that Russia used disinformation, data thefts, and leaks to attempt to give an advantage to Trump over Clinton. These conclusions were reaffirmed by the lead intelligence officials in the Trump administration in May 2017. Intelligence allies of the U.S. in Europe found communications between suspected Russian agents and the Trump campaign as early as 2015. By May of 2017, Congressional and Senate investigations into the investigation had begun to bring to light evidence that the Trump campaign had multiple contacts with the Russians and cabinet level officials, most notably former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn had lied about the degree of their own relationships with the Russians to the FBI and Defense Department. The investigation remained a minor political event until the firing of FBI director James Comey, who was set to testify to Congress about the FBI's own investigation the next day. Comey's firing led to the appointment of a special prosecutor, former FBI Director Richard A. Muller. 'Puerto Rico' In June 2017, Puerto Rico, facing bankruptcy and limited access to the protections enjoyed by the rest of the United States, formally petitioned the US Congress for Statehood. Trump and the Republican controlled Congress opposed the statehood movement, but after the Democrats took back control of the House and were a step away to retaking the Senate, bringing the Commonwealth into the Union as the 51st State became a wedge issue. In February 2019 the Puerto Rico Admission Act was introduced in the Senate to dissolve the territorial status of Puerto Rico along with the US Virgin Islands, and admit them to the Union as a single state. With the warming of relations with Cuba, many investors in the continental United States were already preparing to take advantage of a boom in the Caribbean as previously inaccessible areas of investment became available. Some of these investors, unsatisfied with the pace of Cuba's economic transition wished to divert resources to Puerto Rico, and a strong lobbying effort for statehood began. The rush of investors and access to federal bankruptcy protections would eventually spur a number of other territories in the Gulf of Mexico to seek closer ties to the United States. Trump directly opposed Puerto Rican statehood, and his statements on the matter stirred up outrage among voters in the Southwest. It would prove to be a significant issue in the 2020 elections. 2020 presidential election The 2018 recession caused irreparable damage to Trump's image as president. Many blue-collar workers, the traditional bedrock of the Republican party, began to privately or publicly distance themselves from him, citing his inability to follow through with his grandiose promises as a factor. Further confounding the issue was the fact that around this time many Millennials were entering the work force, taking their traditionally Liberal beliefs with them. Mexican immigrants, something Trump had never truly been able to suppress despite many attempts, also increased in number. By 2020 Trump's once-massive support was faltering, and he lost the election that year to Cory Booker. Post-presidency Trump refused to accept the fact that he had lost, and he maintained that he only lost both the electoral and the popular vote due to "illegal votes," just as he did in 2016. He continued to claim up until January 3rd when the House officially confirmed the election of Cory Booker, that he was the legitimate President, making him a pariah in the eyes of many Americans. No longer in any position to challenge the results and facing scandals on all sides, Trump finally conceded in a hastily written farewell address and returned to New York in disgrace. Legacy Donald Trump was considered by many historians to be one of the most controversial Presidents of his time. He conducted the first campaign concentrated in social media while routinely communicating his political positions and reactions to his opponents and critics in real-time. He was considered to be the first 'Social Media President' and his campaign online was borrowed by many future politicians when many had realized the capability of reaching a wider audience through the use of social media. His campaign had largely contributed to the rise of the "alt-right". His controversy was mainly built from his controversial and "unfiltered" comments or views that is based off of emotional impulses. Many of his detractors had argued that he was the cause of an even more violent division within the country, with many comparing his ideas and policies to fascism. The late 2010s recession was largely blamed on the president following the short lack of significant progress in the Korean War in the early 21st century, which was largely compared to the "Vietnam War", where the United States had trouble fighting and containing communist guerilla fighters. His biggest controversies was that many workers, the traditional bedrock of the Republican party, began to privately or publicly distance themselves from him, citing his inability to follow through with his grandiose promises as a factor along with having what many had call an "unstable" administration. On the other hand, Trump was credited for boost funding in space technology, leading to a public-private co-operative agreement to be able to send a manned mission to Mars earlier than had predicted. His foreign policy in Korea was ultimately successful, but his way of achieving so, such as through the use of nuclear weapons or a slow "dragged out" war in North Korea was controversial. Category:Presidents of the United States